A Greek oil tanker sustained minor damage after being struck by an unknown object while waiting outside a Russian port early Saturday morning, according to the ship’s operator.
The Maran Homer was positioned outside Russian territorial waters near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium Terminal at Novorossiysk when the incident occurred at around 4:35 a.m. local time. The vessel had been waiting for permission to enter the port to collect a shipment of Kazakh crude oil.
Maran Tankers, the ship’s management company, released a statement confirming the incident. “There were no injuries and the crew is safe,” the company stated, noting that only minor material damage was observed on the ship’s deck and equipment.
The company reported that the vessel has since departed from Novorossiysk. The nature of the object that struck the tanker remains unknown.
